2021
Ceramics
Presented at “New Natures: A Terrible Beauty is Born” curated by Ravi Agarwal. Goethe Institut, Mumbai.
A recipe/poem and hundreds of ceramic objects resembling food items and elements from nature come together in a ring to form a ‘picnic’. ‘Picnic’ is both a text and a visual exploration inspired by Dalit writer Sharankumar Limbale’s experiences of being ostracised and discriminated against as a young school student in the 1960s in Maharashtra. The discrimination took place both inside the classroom as well as outside, on events such as these picnics; permeating a natural landscape, seemingly devoid of human intervention, with deep rooted practices of untouchability.
‘Picnic’ as a recipe invites the reader to attempt to put themselves in Limbale’s shoes, as if following step-by-step instructions that ultimately lead to a deeply uncomfortable situation. The ceramic objects, many resembling leaves and sticks as well as Maharashtrian food items like bhakris, papad, vadis, bhajjis, bhel, and so on, further add to the inedibility of the situation. I choose to use the ceramic medium also because of its associations with mud, soil, the earth, and, on firing, the fact that it has the potential to last thousands of years - like Dalit resilience.